No Apologies
by CoffeeCupCrazy
Summary: Tony had been a weapon engineer for so long that somedays he forgets he no longer is. Sometimes when he forgets it isn't an accident. Because sometimes one has to walk, talk, and think like a villian to catch another. His true problem isn't forgetting. No. The problem is remembering to stop before irrevocably crossing that blurred line. Steve/Tony


Okay so I am going to attempt to write two stories at the same time. I am just not quite sure how this is going to work out. Half the time I feel like I have too many ideas running rampant and they are going to get all crisscrossed. Here is to hoping that maybe if I manage to write them all down I will actually finish a story. As always my story has no beta so feel free to point out mistakes I make, because they are all mine.

Warning: This story is: **Male*Male**. Tony*Steve. Captain America*Iron Man. If you don't like it, don't read it. Or suck it up, read it, and be converted. It has happened to plenty before you, feel not ashamed.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my soul; I bargained that pesky problem away some time ago. Just saying

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Tony twirled a spaghetti noodle between his fingers before bringing it to his mouth and slurping it down noisily. Clint walked through the doorway to the kitchen area that the team shared, "Tony have you seen my…" and was promptly halted by a flying spaghetti noodle that stuck to the wall inches from him.

Smirking Tony snatched another noodle from the pot on the stove and swung it back and forth as if testing its weight. "I think it is done. What about you? Do you think it is done? Cause I mean somebody once told me that if you throw spaghetti and it sticks to the wall that it was done. Now I thought that meant you had to throw the entire pot of spaghetti but then I was like, I am not going to eat spaghetti from the wall. That would just be weird, you know."

Clint's fingers darted to the noodle that was slowly beginning to slip down the wall, and quickly folded it in on itself repeatedly until it was compact enough to fit in his mouth in one bite. Tony wrinkled his nose at the archer, "See that's what I am talking about. Just weird."

"Anyway, I came to see if you had seen my puzzle that had been left on the table. It was one of those wooden ones that take forever to put together." Leaning against the wall Clint wiped his oily fingers off on his pants.

Tony raised an eyebrow before throwing a dish towel at Clint. "Shouldn't wipe food off on your clothes. Pepper yells at me for that all the time. Speaking of which you should probably see if Pepper stopped by, cause she loves those puzzles. Possible she swiped it. We seem to lack that whole personal boundary thing around here."

Clint turned to head back into the common area. "While you are out there, tell everyone dinner is ready. I have been slaving over this damn stove long enough that they are going to damn well come and eat it. That includes you too Legolas." Waving a dismissive hand Clint continued his trek out.

Tony busied himself with setting out plates filled with spaghetti and topped with a vegetable garden sauce straight from jar and heated in the microwave at each of the places at the round kitchen table. Hearing the voices of his teammates drifting closer Tony poured a glass of brandy and sat it in front of his plate. Hip pressed against the table, he angled himself toward the door and waited.

Bruce was the first to pass through. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose he surveyed the table before looking up at Tony suspiciously. That suspicion was echoed as Steve and Natasha followed and saw the scene before them. Clint wandered in last scowling. Each moved to a seat in order to make room for the next person walking in.

Noting the looks Tony clapped his hands, "come on guys, am I seriously not allowed to make dinner for my favorite band of super heroes every once in a while?" Quickly seating himself as well Tony took a gulp from his glass and slightly shivered as the burn went down his throat. Unimpressed the team continued to stare. Clint even went so far as to poke and dissect the plate of spaghetti." Quickly Tony's friendly grin turned to a frown. "Honestly guys?"

"Well, I never really thought you could cook. I mean none of us did."

Unsurprisingly it was the captain who spoke up first, always the leader.

"Yeah, well where do you think I have been the past six hours?"

"Lab."

"Lab."

"Lab."

"Workshop."

Leaning back Tony smirked and pointed at Bruce. "Ha, at least one of you can think outside the box."

Bruce looked at his food, twirling his fork in it, "I just know you weren't in the lab because that is where I was. Yeah, I tend to zone out while working but usually you are just too talkative to ignore." Taking a chance Bruce brought the forkful of noodles to his mouth and quickly swallowed them down. His face remained neutral as the rest of the Avengers looked on. Shrugging his mouth quirked upwards, "I have had worse," and promptly dug in.

Steve was the next to try and his face promptly screwed up into the '_This is really bad but I am too polite to say anything so I am just going to choke it down ad deal with it' _face. Tony, Clint and Natasha each took their own bites.

Clint started coughing, Natasha, calmly but promptly, got up to get a glass of water, and Tony just spat his back into his napkin.

"Okay, way too salty. See, this is why I don't cook."

Jarvis's voice sharply sounded in the room. "Sir, Ms. Potts is arriving through the front doors as we speak. Perhaps you would…."

Tony cut him off looking in awe at Steve and Bruce, both who had continued eating. "Guys, quit. Seriously. Nasty stuff here."

"Sir…"

"Speaking of which Tony, I checked with Jarvis and he said that Pepper wasn't here today.'

"Oops."

"Oops nothing. Where is my damn puzzle Tony?"

"Not where you left it?"

"Was that a question or a statement?" Clint growled.

"Sir…Ms. Potts is…."

Gulping the last of his brandy Tony stood and began heading toward the bar for a refill.

"Cap, would you like a drink? On me." Tony grinned at Steve and positively beamed at the annoyance he saw there.

"No, and you shouldn't be drinking so much either."

"Don't worry about me Cap, I am an old pro at…."

"TONY!"

The room's inhabitants looked to an angry Pepper Potts standing in the kitchen door way. Tony visibly flinched at the stack of papers she held in her arms. With a pen tucked behind her ear and strands of hair flying away from an unkempt ponytail Pepper looked fierce.

"Sir, Ms. Potts has arrived." Jarvis's cultured tones rolled through the room in the resulting silence as each person's desire to speak was ground to a halt.

Giving a weak glare to the ceiling Tony placed his glass on the counter and strolled toward Pepper. "Tony, I asked Jarvis to tell you to come down and sign these papers. You have been putting them off for weeks. You do know that when you became CEO again that you actually have to work. I mean not that you did beforehand. Now take these," and she pushed the bundle off into Tony's

Knowing the two's working relationship, as anything beyond that had died a while ago, Natasha leaned back in her chair to watch the interactions. Bruce however, made to stand in order to avoid being stuck in a room with such awkward airs. "Thank you for the food Tony."

Something nagged at Natasha's brain as Pepper went from rage to sputtering fury. Bruce froze standing half way out of his chair as Pepper turned her entire focus toward him. Locking eyes with him her complete demeanor went alarmingly calm. With a wide gesture toward the table Pepper spoke. "Tony made this?"

Bruce nodded slowly, afraid of the consequences if he moved to quickly. "Umm, yes. A bit salty but otherwise…" Clint coughed into his hand. "A bit? Understatement of the year man." Despite the quite nature of his mutterings the noise easily carried across the room, doing nothing to dispel the tension. Tony was the only one who even looked like he thought about quirking his lips upwards at Clint's comment.

However the second Tony's lips twitched, barely even noticeable, Pepper's rage descended once more and her wrath was directly aimed toward him. "You never cook!"

"Well if that is what you want, I could do it more often, though I have to say I am not very good at this. But this is me, and given practice I could be able to…." "Shut up!" Tony winced. Pepper stepped toward him before stopping and collecting her breath.

"I am going to ask you one question Tony. And for once you are going to give a god damn straight answer." Tony nodded meekly. "Shoot." "Are you, or are you not dying?"

The kitchen's occupants sat stunned at the question and only Natasha's quiet gasp did anything to dispel the silence as she connected this incident to the last time he had attempted to cook; namely the ill-received omelet. Concern was washed over each of the Avengers' faces.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Pepper glared but became less angry and more suspicious. "Then why the food Tony? And don't you dare say just because you can."

Reaching back Tony quickly filled his glass that lay abandoned on the counter half way full of brandy leaving everyone to wait for his answer.

With his classic trouble-making grin Tony leaned fully back against the counter and raised his glass in salute before taking a gulp. "I just wanted to say that I was going on a trip for a month or two. Nothing big. Just decided I wanted a little more….me time." Tony waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Huffing Pepper turned and walked back out of the kitchen. "I want those signed and ready for me by tomorrow." Tony gave a jaunty wave after her.

Giving it a few more minutes of silence, Natasha rose and took her plate, throwing the remaining pasta in the trash, and placed it in the sink before heading back to her room. Her actions having broken the tension, the rest of the team quickly got up and followed her lead, dispersing to different parts of the tower. Clint made a passing comment about expecting his puzzle back before Tony left, while Steve wished Tony a safe trip which was backed by a similar sentiment from Bruce. Tony continued to lean against the counter while grinning and exchanging playful banter and sarcasm in response.

After they all had left there was no one other than Tony himself to know of the grimace that marred his face. Turning to the mirror hanging on the wall behind the bar he noted that the man who stared back at him lacked any warmth in his eyes.

And if a sea of broken glass managed to get trapped under the rug behind the bar surely no one would notice.

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Okay so there was my shoddy attempt at an Avengers story. Feel free to tell me what you liked, what could be changed in my writing style, and how you think I could better capture the team's personalities.

Flamers are welcome too. I never discriminate.

If you don't feel up to it feel free to stalk (Follow, same meaning really) the story.

With love! CoffeeCupCrazy


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